Signal-lantern.



. 110.723.1465; PATENTED MAR. '17, 1903.

1-". W DRESS-EL. SIGNAL LANTERN.

, 7 APPLICATION FILED DBO. 2a, 1902. no MODEL.

To aZZ whom it may concern: H

. Be itknown that I, FREDERICK W. DRES- SEL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough ofManhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented anImprovement in Signal-Lanterns, of which the following is aspecification. A t

My invention relates to such railway sig nal lanterns as are employed at switches semaphores, and upon the tops of cars or cabooses; and the object of my invention is to be. able to employ at pleasure as a light giving medium either electriclamps ,or an i oil font and burner. l

.15 In carryingout my inventionI hinge the top of the lantern to the body and provide a spring plate and catch for engaging and holding the top in place. Thelantern-body is of usual construction, andI provide in the ,upper end thereof bracket-arms spaced apart y and having studs rising from their upper A surfacesf A plate of metal having perforations agreeing in area and position with the studs of said brackets fits within the lower portion of the lantermtop oversaid studs and is supported by thebracket-armsr This 1 plate carries two electric lamp sockets, bindsuch parts and to the line, and the incanof the lanternfromthe sockets secured to the plate and in line with the lens and the assists in keeping the parts in position is unlatched and raiseththe plateand both sockets and lamps can be simultaneously removed from the lamp -body. An oil font 1 t and burner may be employedfin lieu of the incandescent electric lamps and upon their removal the oil-font may be inserted from aboveand the brackets that remain secured to thelamp-body are an evidence of the in ter'changejable use of thestructure p In thedrawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section and :partial elevation representing my improvement. Figfil is a vertical section through the lantern-top at right angles to the position Fig. l and showing the hinged t latch plate and stud for holding the top to the body. Fig; 3 is a sectional plan at me of vatiomglass. struction.

ing-posts, and electric connections between descent electric lamps hang within the body observation-glass. When the covet-which PATENT OFFICE.

it FREDERlCK WQD ESSEL, or-NEwyoiaK, N. n, ASSIGNOR TO THE DRESSEL I RAILWAY LAMP WORKS, on NEW YORK, Y., A CORPORATION on NEW fs ieNAL' LANTERN.

1 S PEGIF ICATIO NfOrming part of Letters Patent No. 723,146, dated March 17, 1903.

l Application filed December 26,1902. Serial No. 136,522. (Nomotleld Fig.-

and Fig. 4 is a plan of the plate carrying the incandescent electriclamps and their sockets. i

i a represents the lantern-body, b the lens, and b, directly opposite the lens, the obser These parts are of usual con- The lantern-top a is connected to the body a by a hinge c at one side, and to the oppo: site side of the body is'conuected a springplate (1, having. a finger-button cl passing outside of the lamp-body for engagement in inovingthe said spring-plate, and c is a catch 'connected'to the lantern-top and depending within the same in such aposition as to-enface: should extend slightly up into the top ofthe lantern.

I provide a metalplate g, in part; perforated as desired for lightness, and advantageously form this plate with a lift-lug g, rising from the central portion. This plate is provided with perforations 2, which agree in position with the studsf ot the bracket-armsf, the g perforations beingof slightly-largerarea than the studs, so as to readily fit over the studs, the plate restingupon the bracket-arms. To this plate are connected electric-lamp sockets h, which carry the electric lamps i, and upon the plate are binding-posts k, to which the line-wires ll are connected. 'lheseline-wires are shown as broken off within the lanterntop. .I do not confine myself in any respect to the manner of entering the line-wires: 5. They may be brought in at the top or in at the bottom of the lantern and carried up inside to their end connections with saidbinding-posts. The electric conductors 3, 4, 5, and 6 extend from one binding-post to one socket, from this to the other socket, again between the'sockets,and from one socket back to the other post, so as to complete the circuit through the two lamps. Transversely of the lantern-body the two electric lamps are preferably placed in line between the lens I) and the observation-glass b for the twofoldreason, first, that the combined light may shine directly through the lens, thelight thus beingintensified over and above what it would be if the two lights were in aplane at right angles to a plane between the lens and observationglass, and,second, because by looking through the observation-glass it can readily be seen if both electric lamps are in order or if one or both are burned out. This metal plate g, carrying both sockets and the electric lamps, is readily and quickly placed in the lantern or removed therefrom. There are no parts to be coupled or uncoupled save the line-wires, and when the plate is removed the same, with both lamps and all the connect ions,come away intact.

Instead of employing electric lamps in this lantern an oil font and burner 0% (shown in Fig. 1 bydotted lines) may be employed, as the structure is adapted for interchangeable use, and when the oil-font is used and the electric-light apparatus removed the brackets for supporting the latter as fixtures in the lantern-body still remain.

I claim as my invention l. In a convertible signal-lantern, the combination with the lantern-body and the top hinged thereto, of brackets secured to the lantern-body adjacent to the upper end, studs formed with and rising from said bracketarms, a plate having perforations agreeing in location with and adapted to receive said studs for the support of the plate and the connection thereof to the brackets, lamp-sockets connected to the under side of said plate for supporting one or more incandescent lamps, binding-posts for the line-wires and connections between the same and the lamp-sockets, substantially as set forth.

2. In a convertible signal-lantern, the combination with the lantern-body havinga lens in one side and an observation-glass in the opposite side, of a lantern top or cover connected at one side to the body by a hinge, and a spring plate and catch for removably e'n gaging the plate at the other side, a series of brackets secured to the inner surface of the lamp-body at the upper end at predetermined points and having studs rising from their upper surfaces, a metal plate having perforations agreeingin position with and adapted to receive said studs by which theplate is supported upon the brackets and connected to the lantern, sockets for incandescent lamps secured to the under surface of said plate in line between the lens and the observation-glass, binding-posts upon said plate for the line- Wires and electric connections between the same and the respective sockets, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed by me this 23d day of December,1902.

FREDERICK WV. DRESSEL.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, S. T. HAVILAND. 

